| The first warning came when the
chital buck heard the rustling of grass as the tigress, belly almost
touching the ground, prepared her crouch. He barely had time for one
loud, high-pitched 'bark' of alarm when she was upon him, her weight
bringing him down instantly; the back of his neck in her jaws. In under
a minute it was all over. |
| Kailash Sankhala - Tiger
Conservationist |
In
the Aravalli range, which cuts across Rajasthan, a few pockets of forest
still survive; one such area is the
Sariska Wildlife Sanctuary &
Tiger Reserve, once the shikargah (hunting ground) of the princely state
of Alwar. Under the guidance of Maharaja Jai Singh, many waterholes and
watchtowers were constructed within the jungles, which have been a boon for
the wildlife. Sariska became a Sanctuary in 1958 and was brought under
Project Tiger in 1979.
Sariska lies within the Golden Tourist
Triangle of Delhi, Jaipur and Agra, and is an important halt for the
traveller. It is one of the last surviving densely forested tracts along the
Aravalli mountain range and the 800km2 dry deciduous jungles are
interspersed with forest, scrubland and water-bodies, which provide fruit,
fodder and water for its birds, mammals and reptiles.
The tiger reigns supreme in the forests of Sariska, but other animals
cohabit with the "Great Cat" and herds of Chital (spotted deer),
solitary Nilgai (Blue Bull) and Sambar (largest Asiatic deer), Wild Boar,
Indian Porcupine, Wild Dog and Hare may be seen on a safari through the
Park. Hides have been constructed at strategic locations (e.g. near a
waterhole) to enable visitors to photograph animals (special permission
needed).
The Park is rich in avifauna as well; besides the
omnipresent Peafowl other birds such as woodpeckers, partridges, quails,
owls, treepies and several species of raptors may be spotted with patience
and bit of luck.
Besides wildlife, Sariska has points of
historical interest too. The Kankwari Fort where the sixth Mughal Emperor,
Aurangzeb (Shahjahan's son) incarcerated his elder brother Dara Shikoh whom
he defeated and later killed to gain the throne of the Mughal Empire, sits
atop a hillock. Then there are the Neelkanth Temples built during the
6th-13th century AD and a temple at Pandupole within the Park, believed to
have been built by the Pandava princes, heroes of epic Mahabharata during
their exile. Amidst this glorious past the wildlife of Sariska thrives.
